STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: An elderly couple were injured when security forces fired pellets at them after they resisted the arrest of their son in Tral area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, official sources said here on Saturday.
Abdul Qayoom Bhat and his wife Nazira Begum were admitted to a local hospital in Tral area with multiple pellet injuries sustained late Friday night, the sources said.
They said the security forces fired pellets at the couple as they tried to resist the arrest of their son Noor Mohammad in Kamla village of Tral.
While Nazira’s condition is stated to be stable, Bhat was shifted to a hospital here for specialised treatment, the sources said.
The security forces had raided Bhat’s house to arrest his son Shabir Ahmad alias Falahi, who is a member of Jamaat-e-Islami. As he was not at home, they took into custody his brother Noor Mohammad, prompting resistance from the elderly parents, they said. Police officials have so far refused to comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, postpaid mobile telephone services were on Saturday restored in Kashmir after being suspended for six days to curb rumour-mongering while curfew remained in force in Srinagar district and two south Kashmir towns even as normal life in the Valley was paralysed for the 43rd day on Saturday.
The mobile telephone services across all networks were restored around 11 AM, an official said.
He said, however, outgoing call facility on pre-paid phones have not been restored yet. The mobile phone services were snapped on August 13 as part of security drill ahead of Independence Day celebrations as well as to thwart separatist plans of holding rallies in the city centre.
“Curfew is in force in entire Srinagar district, Anantnag town and Pampore town as a precautionary measure, ” a police official said.
The official said restrictions on the movement of the people were in force in rest of the Valley. The separatist camp have called for an “Azadi march” to district headquarters today as part of their protest schedule.
Normal life remained paralysed for the 43rd consecutive day due to curfew, restrictions and separatist-sponsored strike following Wani’s killing in an encounter with security forces. Schools, colleges and private offices remained closed while public transport remained off roads. The attendance in government offices was thin. The separatist camp, headed by Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, has extended the agitation till August 25.
